Stephen pulls his cap down a bit more and thumbs through the news article a screen at a time on his cell phone. He has been careful in travelling to Gypsum, Colorado, using tips and tricks that Derek explained to him when they met in Atlanta. "- BC Management states they will follow up on each cease and desist that has been sent. This has done little to stop the viral spread of the five separate videos, each from different cameras in Winifred’s studio. Thousands of blogs are carrying the videos. The videos are being spread quickly through peer-to-peer sharing sites. And all of the largest social network sites have the video prominently linked to from their members’ profiles. Speculation runs high as Internet pundits and media personalities discuss theories explaining the videos; as mundane as the apprehension of escaped mental patients all the way to theories as outlandish as the existence of another world. Table-top roleplaying Gaming communities, formerly a niche interest, has now gained mainstream attention as the evidence being collected, analyzed and distributed electronically links more and more to the Blade and Bolt table-top roleplaying game, written and published by Christopher Korbach in 1973. Prominent podcaster Eli Brinster had this to say, ‘Right now, Christopher Korbach, the writer, designer and original publisher of Blade and Bolt is in a mental health facility in Atlanta, Georgia because he claimed that he visited a world called Thrycion in 1969. Two weeks after his admittance to the facility, three people, identified as Kinewyn, Bryong and Coveark, appeared on the Winifred Proach show claiming to be from a world called Thrycion. One of these people, Coveark, is shot and killed on live television by a tactical team bearing no state, federal or national insignia and now it is unclear where this man's body is being kept or if he has been buried or cremated. The whereabouts of his companions are equally a mystery. I have been working on this story every waking moment since it broke but I have to admit I am anxiously awaiting the night news interview of Max Esso. I think that is going to answer a lot of questions."
Stephen snaps the clamshell phone shut, drops his head. Coveark is dead. Kinewyn and Bryong are who knows where, most likely prisoners. Stephen thinks over his actions. He has linked earth and Thrycion. Powerful forces on both sides of the gate on Mount Gibbes would want to establish a controlled station between the two worlds. Stephen knows he has to decide how to join the two worlds. Only he has the key now, his key choice having overwritten the key Korbach had chose in 1972 when he had come back through from Thrycion to North Carolina for the last time. He is certain that if he does not act quickly he will soon be captured. Surely, the troops who stormed Winifred's studio were government agents. He does not have long. He knows this.
An ancient Carmengia rolls to a stop in front of the bus stop. Stephen grabs his bag, ducks into the car. Marcia hugs him fiercely. "I am so glad you are OK. Thank you for calling me. I know this is huge and I really appreciate you trusting me to help." Stephen nods, "Thank you, Marcia. I know I am asking a lot." Marcia checks her mirror and pulls out into traffic. "What happened? Why weren't you with Max?" Stephen frowns, "What do you mean?" "Why weren't you with Max on the Winifred Proach show?" Stephen sighs, "Marcia, I would never have brought Kinewyn and his band on to a show like that. I was hoping it would be a few years before it became public that there are portals between Earth and Thrycion." Marcia slows for a red light, "There is more than one portal?" "Marcia, I don't mean to sound melodramatic but Coveark died because he knew where one of the portals is. I need you to know that Max betrayed me and put Kinewyn, Coveark and Bryong in danger. I know I bear responsibility for what happened because I allowed them to come back hear to Earth but what Max did was flat out evil. He is going to use this situation for his own personal gain and I don't think he cares who gets hurt." Marcia passes a bus, "Well, what do you want to happen, Stephen?" "I want Thrycion to be an open world. Look at all the joy a game based on Thrycion brought the table-top RPG community. I want all the peoples of Earth and Thrycion to have new choices on how and where they live."
Marcia is silent. Marcia turns left and drives past Salt Lake Tabernacle. “Well, I think those are noble purposes. Of course, I am somewhat biased.” Marcia places a hand on Stephen's arm for just a moment before pulling it away to shift. “Do you know what you are going to say?” Stephen's face is wry, “Yes. I have given it as much thought as time allowed. I think I have a clear message to convey.” Stephen goes over the main points with Marcia and listens carefully to her feedback. Marcia slows the Carmengia and turns onto a long gravel driveway. The Carmengia passes acres of scrubland. Stephen leans forward to take in a four story mansion in the middle of a meticulously kept xeriscape. Round turret towers rise at both ends of the expansive front face of the edifice. Bright lights beam from every window and Stephen can see the home is packed with people. He helps Marcia find a place to park between a battered old pickup and a pristine Ferrari F150.
The two make their way up the driveway and then Marcia takes him off path, to walk around to the back of massive home. They enter through white, double French doors into a crowd of Blade & Bolt players. They range in age from 16 to 76 and are equally wide ranging in race and social class. The room they enter is a combination of foyer and tavern, rusty oak and stone furnishings. There are large bars, each manned by a bartender on both sides of the room. Marcia attempts to sweep Stephen through the room quickly. A young man in a tam raises his cup, “Huzzah, the man of the hour!” All in the room turn toward Stephen who frowns. “He is here. The man who will open Thrycion to us!” Others now close in closer to Stephen and Marcia, expectant. Stephen realizes they are waiting for him to speak. “Thank you, thank you, everyone. It is wonderful that the Blade & Bolt community has quickly come to my aid. Helping with everyone that must occur before the Gamers Gate to Thrycion is opened. Thank you for believing me and thank you –” Marcia raises a hand and steps in front of Stephen. “And the way that you can all help Stephen the most right now is to let us go upstairs to speak with Damon. Stephen cannot stay in one place too long, the fast we are in and out of here the better chance we all have of travelling to Thrycion soon. THANK YOU! Please, let us pass.” Disappointment radiates through the crowd before they part and allow the two to pass through the wide, art spotted halls and up the elegant stairs to the second floor.
As they walk, Marcia points and draws in just a few of the many Blade & Bolt players in the mansion. They follower her as she leads Stephen into large room that is tight with workstations, server racks and a number of coders pointing and discussing a complex line chart on a smartboard. Damon, who seems to be the center of the conversation, wears a hoodie that looks too big for his gaunt frame. “Stephen, excellent. We can begin.” He immediately returns to his workstation where a Mac, a PC and a Linux netbook sit, connected to six screens. As he spins up applications, services and sites, Marcia introduces Stephen to everyone in the room. “Stephen, this is Michael Sventon, he is in charge of getting all the gear that is needed for your communication streams; mobiles, computers, software; free, open source and purchased. This is Tricia Rivers. She is arranging for transportation for all the mission critical tasks that need to be completed. This is Delano Ericson. He will be aggregating the huge of amount of media information that is surrounding your return to Thrycion. He can help you determine the few stories you wish to respond to, if any, and keep the community informed of what is truth and what is not. Damon, here is in charge of your outgoing communications to everyone but the Blade & Bolt community. He will be making sure that you can communicate out whatever you wish to whoever you wish with as much broadcast or privacy as you desire, whenever, wherever you are.” Damon nods and Stephen notices that his pupils are white, as though he were blind. It takes Stephen a minute to realize these are cosmetic contacts. “First order of business is getting a video out to the masses, correct?”
Stephen pulls an Aeron chair and sits. “Yes, how long after we record will it take to distribute?” Damon smiles, "I can have the video posted to Viewtube within five minutes after you finish. I have about 150 RPG sites ready to d
istribute whatever message you give in text, podcast, HD radio and as many other electronic formats as you can think of. However, I think the trigger will be if it is Boing Boinged pretty soon after its posted. From there it will spread like wildfire through blogosphere, web communities and all the cross communities. LARPers, comic fans, MMO crowd and the sci-fi community. They all have a lot of love for the table-top RPG community, or at least respect. They will help." Stephen nods. Can we get started? I am actually quite anxious to get this done.”
A thin Goth brings a bottled water to him and Damon rises from the seat. Stephen sits down in front of a stark white backdrop and Marcia places the Nikon DSLR in front of him. "Go when you are ready." Stephen sits on the stool in front on the black sheet backdrop, "Hello, my name is Stephen Cairnhist and I am college student at Millersgrove University in Lancaster, PA. Since I was twelve years old I have enjoyed the table-top roleplaying game Blade and Bolt. In addition to enjoying hundreds of hours of gaming and gaining well over a dozen intelligent, imaginative friends, the game also opened up an area of scholarly pursuit for me. I systematically learned every detail of every product published for Blade and Bolt. I also studied the life of the creator of the game, Christopher Korbach, and how he brought his brilliant table-top roleplaying game to market. Last week, Christopher Korbach spoke at the largest gaming convention in the world, GameCon. He stated that Blade and Bolt was not actually a game but instead an encyclopedia, a guide he had written for a world called Thrycion. Christopher Korbach declared that in 1969 he traveled through a portal in Mount Gibbes, a peak in the Black Mountains of North Carolina. Today, I am specifically speaking to the hundreds of thousands of B&B players in the United States of America and throughout the world. Please listen to me. Thrycion, the world described in Blade and Bolt is absolutely real. Now, I need to make this crystal clear because people have accused our gaming culture of not being able to tell reality from fantasy. Thrycion is not a world made by magic with its source the Blade and Bolt RPG. Thrycion is real world, with real people, real creatures, real magic that Christopher Korbach discovered by going through the Mount Gibbes portal. B&B is travel guide to a world as real as Earth. Make no mistake, what has occured is first contact event. We now know that man is not alone in the universe, there are planets other than Earth that are populated by sentient life. OK. Please keep that clear as you listen to me.
Thrycion is connected to our world, Earth, by three portals. The first I have spoken of, a portal in Mount Gibbes, North Carolina, the second is a portal on Mount Abu in the Aravalli Range in India and the third in is a portal on Mount Yari in Nagano, Japan. Christopher Korbach chose to travel between Earth and Thrycion. Then he created Blade and Bolt to allow anyone who was intrigued with the concepts of new worlds and storytelling to learn continuously about the world of Thrycion. I do not believe it was Christopher’s intent but what Blade and Bolt did was to carefully prepare a group of intelligent, imaginative readers, writers and Blade & Bolt players on Earth to serve as a perfect group of ambassadors and diplomats in the first contact encounters that will occur between Earth amd Thrycion. I implore you, my fellow table-top RPGers, consider carefully what I am about to ask. You have played Blade and Bolt and now are aware of the races that populate Thrycion. You have knowledge of the lands of Thrycion, the unique dangers that exist on that world and the opportunities that exist in a cautious, respectful and above all peaceful interaction between Thrycion and Earth. You played Blade and Bolt because you desired to tell communally the stories of heroes of your own creation. Now I am asking you to be heroes in a story we will tell with our actions. In 48 hours I ask every knowledgeable Blade and Bolt player to rally at the base of Mount Gibbes in North Carolina. At exactly 2 PM EST on November 15th I will open the portal between Thrycion and Earth and take a group of 60 Blade and Bolt players across to Thrycion. Players, I assure you that the world is even more vibrant and fascinating than Korbach described it. However, I will remind you to consider all of the dangers that your player characters have encountered in Thrycion. All of them are real, all of them are present on the world I will take you to. In addition to the 60 blade and bolt players I will also bring a group of 20 diplomats chosen by the nations of Earth. Every person, gamer or government official who goes to Thrycion will go unarmed. No weapons will be carried across the portal. The first away team will return from Thrycion to Earth after a stay of three days. Thank you everyone for your attention and thank you to all of the Blade and Bolt players in advance for the response that I expect."
Stephen stops and takes a long drink from the bottled water. There is silence from the two dozen people in the room. There is motion at the room's entrance as several people quickly leave and people from the hall squeeze into take their spots. Damon is keying and mousing as a young man in expensive urban style hoodie steps forward. "Hold on Damon, stop working. We can’t send that message out yet." Marcia steps between Damon and the young man, "We talked about this Jeremie. I warned you that the message would contain material the RPGT was not aware of." Jeremie raises a hand in protest, "The gaming community has 60 representative and the nations of the world have 20. That is outrageous. There are decisions to be made and alliances to be built when that away team steps onto Thrycion. You need to inverse those numbers, 60 diplomats and 20 Blade & Bolt players. " Marcia steps toward Jeremie, "Three years of poli-sci at Brown doesn't give you the right to dictate anything to Stephen." Damon taps a key and stands, "Shut up, both of you. It doesn't matter now. The message is sent and within the hour that video will be on a thousand blogs. By morning it will be the leading story on every television news channel and by tomorrow evening the story will spread across three quarters of the globe. It is done." Damon motions toward the left corner of the room and Tricia steps forward. She hands Stephen a backpack. Damon walks to Stephen, places his hand on Stephen’s shoulder. "Everything you need to travel including a laptop with a mobile connection. Tricia will take you to your next stop and I will make sure you are kept moving until the meeting at Gamers Gate in North Carolina in two days." Stephen nods, "Thank you, Damon." Stephen turns to Marcia and there is an akward moment as she attempts to kiss him on the cheek as he tries to shake her hand. "Thanks for believing me, Marcia. I am going to try to see you as soon as I arrive in North Carolina." He takes her hand and places his own on top and smiles.
Tricia drives Stephen from the mansion in a black 300C and switches it for a Grand National after driving 15 miles west. Stephen clicks the feeds on two different RSS aggregators watching the story spread through the blogosphere. Tricia puts distance and ambiguity between the mansion and wherever the next stop is. Stephen shuts the laptop down and prays for the first time that day. He prays for wisdom and courage.
Chapter 15
Gamers Gate Page 27
